renoir painting missing for a century sells in paris for 2 million 1234763955

A Renoir painting that had been missing for a century sold for $2 million at auction in Paris. The work, titled *L’enfant et ses jouets – Gabrielle et le fils de l’artiste, Jean* (circa 1910), depicts the artist’s young son Jean with his nursemaid Gabrielle. It had never been published or exhibited and was discovered in remarkably good condition. Auction house Joron-Derem offered the painting in its Tableaux Modernes sale at Hôtel Drouot on November 25, where an international collector secured it for a hammer price of €1.45 million ($1.68 million), with buyer’s fees bringing the total to about €1.8 million ($2 million). The painting had been gifted by Renoir to his pupil and close friend Jeanne Baudot, then passed to her adopted son Jean Griot, who kept it in his bedroom until his death in 2011.

sothebys hikes buyers fees restitution battle franz marc painting 1234773693

Sotheby's has increased its buyer's premiums globally, with the new fee structure taking effect on February 13. The changes mean buyers of lower-value lots will pay higher rates, with the premium for works sold in New York for up to $2 million rising from 27% to 28%. This move follows similar adjustments by rivals Christie's and Phillips, as auction houses seek to bolster revenue during a prolonged art market downturn. Sotheby's also recently raised $900 million through art-backed loans via securitization.

Gold toilet, Klimt portrait sell for millions at Sotheby’s

A portrait by Gustav Klimt, *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–1916), sold for $236 million at Sotheby's in New York, setting a record for the auction house. The painting, depicting the daughter of Klimt's patron, was part of the collection of late billionaire Leonard A. Lauder. In the same sale, Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet *America* (2016) fetched $12.1 million, with the piece satirizing superwealth. The toilet had previously been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum and was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019; its current whereabouts remain unknown.

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Newly released emails from Jeffrey Epstein, published by House Republicans, show the disgraced financier discussing Leonardo da Vinci's *Salvator Mundi* with journalist Michael Wolff. In a May 2019 exchange, Epstein referenced the $450.3 million painting—the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction—and suggested its sale was linked to a real estate deal involving a Russian billionaire and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Epstein also mentioned that his "art guy" thought the painting wasn't very good.

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Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier has filed a motion in federal court in Manhattan to recover 91 artworks valued at an estimated $100 million, which he claims were entrusted to French dealer Pascal de Sarthe. Bouvier is seeking to compel at least 15 banks and two major auction houses—Sotheby's and Christie's—to provide information about the artworks' whereabouts. The legal action, initiated in Hong Kong in October, targets de Sarthe, who disputes Bouvier's ownership. Bouvier alleges that after his long-running legal battle with Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, he was blacklisted by auction houses and entered into an oral agreement with de Sarthe and dealer Jean Marc Peretti for custody of the artworks, but de Sarthe has allegedly failed to respond to inquiries. A Hong Kong hearing was held in early October for orders including injunction and preservation.

More UNESCO Sites Damaged in Isfahan and Lebanon; Democrats Probe Whereabouts of Millions Given to Fund Trump Library; Morning Links for March 11, 2026

more unesco sites damaged in isfahan and lebanon democrats probe whereabouts of millions given to fund trump library morning links for march 11 2026 1234777032

Recent airstrikes have caused significant damage to several UNESCO World Heritage sites and historical landmarks across Iran and Lebanon. In Isfahan, the 17th-century Naqsh-e-Jahan Square, Ali Qapu Palace, and the Jame Abbasi Mosque suffered damage, while in Lebanon, strikes impacted the Al-Bass archaeological site in the ancient city of Tyre. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have launched an investigation into $63 million in settlement payments intended for Donald Trump’s now-dissolved presidential library fund, raising concerns over the whereabouts of the capital.

gelman collection of mexican art surfaces at santander with plans to bring it to spain 1234770736

Banco Santander has announced it will manage roughly half of the Gelman Collection, one of the most significant collections of 20th-century Mexican art, which disappeared from public view in 2008. The Madrid-based bank now oversees 160 of approximately 300 works amassed by patrons Jacques and Natasha Gelman. The collection will anchor the new Faro Santander cultural center in Spain, set to open in June, through a long-term loan agreement with the Zambrano family, the prominent Mexican business family revealed to own the once-lost collection. The collection's whereabouts had been largely unknown, with only sporadic sightings in foreign institutions, after it was divided by executor Robert R. Littman despite the will's stipulation that it be shown intact in a private museum in Mexico.

Tracking Down a Vase From ‘Bonjour Tristesse’

The New York Times has traced the whereabouts of a distinctive blue-and-white vase featured in the 1958 film 'Bonjour Tristesse,' directed by Otto Preminger. The vase, which played a prominent role in the film's set design, was discovered to be a piece by French ceramicist Georges Jouve and had been quietly residing in a private Los Angeles collection for decades.

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Silke Thomas, co-manager of Munich-based Galerie Thomas, has been in custody since mid-December as part of a criminal investigation into the gallery's bankruptcy filing last summer. Munich prosecutors are investigating her and her father, founder Raimund Thomas, on suspicion of delaying insolvency, fraud, and breach of trust, with outstanding debts estimated at over $10 million. Raimund Thomas's whereabouts are unknown, and the gallery's absence from Art Basel in June 2024 hinted at financial trouble before the bankruptcy filing.